U.S. Pat. No. 6,963,359 to Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd (1998) describes an instant printer where a motorized VFPH (vacuum fluorescent print head) traverses an instant film, exposing one pixel at a time. Similar print-head based devices are proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,710,796 to Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd (1998). Marketed products utilizing this technology are FujiFilm's “FinePix PR21” digital camera (1999), and the “FujiFilm Pivi,” (2004).
These products all suffer from the same drawbacks. They require pixel data in order to function, necessitating a DRAM chip or similar to store images. They also require microprocessors to read and convert this data into light sequences that can be sent to the VFPH. Furthermore, if they are to print images from an external electronic device such as a Smartphone, they must incorporate a near-field communication mechanism such as Infrared or Bluetooth, or a wired USB cable input. This electronic complexity introduces many issues, including the need for a power source, higher cost, and compatibility barriers with external devices. The aforementioned printers all retail in the $150-$300 range. Aside from their electronic complexity, they are extremely slow because they must print each pixel sequentially. In particular, the Pivi takes nearly 2 minutes to transfer and print a single image.
The “Impossible Instant Lab”, created by the Impossible Project (2012) is a patent pending apparatus that prints the contents of an iPhone screen to instant film. This device relies on a traditional method of exposing film using a pinhole and a shutter, which is substantially identical to a standard camera. Consequently, the device is bulky. In its fully expanded state, the printer stands a full seven inches tall. This is because the distance from the iPhone screen to the instant film must be precise in order to prevent optical blurring.
The device is designed to be placed on a flat surface when developing, and therefore is not suited to be operated while a user is in motion. It requires special software to be installed on the target phone in order to work properly, and seven arduous motions are required to complete the printout of a photo. In particular, the user must 1) extend the telescoping tower, 2) launch the iPhone app and start a custom timer, 3) place the iPhone on the apparatus, 4) open the shutter near the lower end of the apparatus, 5) wait for the timer to signal that the film has been exposed, 6) close the shutter, and 7) push a button which starts a motor that ejects the film. This device is also relatively expensive, selling for $299 on the Impossible Project's Website.
Alternatives to instant film printers that are starting to gain market share are Zink or direct thermal based printers. A discussion of various direct thermal color imaging methods is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 6,801,233 to Polaroid Corporation. Commercially available thermal printers marketed under the Zink Brand include the Polaroid Pogo and LG PD221 Pocket Photo printers. While thermal imaging printers are much more compact than the Impossible Instant Lab, they suffer from the same drawbacks as VFPH-based instant film printers. They are slow to print (40 seconds per image), and the print resolution of current models is limited to 150 to 300 DPI. Therefore they are at best recreational or hobby devices, unsuitable for high quality or professional imaging needs.
There have been several concept drawings of how an Instant Film development device may integrate with smartphones, tablets and other devices with visual displays. The “Sophie Concept”, published by M. Funamizu (2011) depicts an iPhone fitted with a special case that is capable of printing out a picture. Since this is only a concept drawing, no specific mechanism or method of operation accompanies it. Conceptions such as this abound in various forms on internet blogs and forums since 2011 and earlier. Therefore, it is apparent that equipping a Smartphone or tablet with a professional-quality instant film printer is a highly desirable concept, which has not yet been fully realized in the market.
To summarize, the current state of the art does not disclose an instant film printer which incorporates a thin optical collimation film in order to efficiently, compactly, and effortlessly print the screen contents of any light emitting display. Several devices incorporating slow or clumsy mechanisms to print images exist, however they are all relatively costly and their user experience is clearly lacking.